Emma & Ryan

Been in LA since Friday to cover 4 junkets, including Gangster Squad and the LA premiere last night. Ryan Gosling wore the sh-t out of his brown suit. And his shoes...

I looked down at them when he was being interviewed by the outlet just ahead of me on the carpet and noticed they were...what do you call it when they've been hole-punched, like a strainer? Or a "colander" as I've recently learned. Perforated? The gloss that came off of them in person was impressive. I wanted to buy a pair for myself. Gosling, as he does often, had his ma with him. He held on to her hand almost the entire time.

So he stopped for me and we had an Oh Canada moment and we talked for a minute about the movie and then Emma Stone comes up beside him and he's all like, hey you owe me money, and she punks him off and he says to me, shaking his head, these 20 year old girls, you know? "22 skidoo." No respect. And I kinda mediated their little brother-sister joke spat (airing on etalk tonight) and that's actually what it is -- for all of you who've seen their chemistry and, maybe, are kinda hoping they'll hook up, after being around that, it doesn't seem like it could happen. She's like a kid sister to him. And she said as much on Saturday during my sit-down with her: that the reason she took the job was just so that she could work with him again and they're going to keep looking for projects together, because they enjoy each other so much, but in a way that could never feel...romantic. Which, actually, is really sweet.

She looked incredible in that red Lanvin, by the way, and that's saying something because I hate red dresses. But the design is exquisite, especially up close when you can see the luxury of the fabric and the sophistication in the tailoring. There's something very sexy about her too in how she carries herself. During the group shot, they placed her next to Sean Penn, and she fit into his body very easily, surrounded by men, many of them much older, without any youthful bravado or try, without seeming to come alive at being the centre of attention like so many of her famewhore peers, and also without any awkward sheepishness, like oh, so many people are looking at me and this is so uncomfortable. When speaking to her she's engaged and present but not extra about it either. And, shockingly, she actually participates in a conversation properly, even during a junket interview when most of the time they answer the question and don't lobby back. At one point, after replying thoughtfully to something I asked her, she surprisingly directed it to me with a Why...what do think? It was so unexpected that I just stared at her, confused.

And for those of you hoping that those photos of Eva Mendes walking around not smiling on her own on New Year's Eve (in the day time!) meant that she and Gosling are no more...

She wasn't there last night but her clothing was. He told E! Online that his "girlfriend" dressed his ma. And his ma confirmed that "I'm wearing Eva Mendes". Which means they're not only still together, they're so together that he's identifying her by the title.